Organisations :
Ø MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT FOREST
·
The Ministry of Environment & Forests
(MoEF) is the nodal agency in the administrative structure of the Central
Government for the planning, promotion, co-ordination and overseeing the
implementation of India's environmental and forestry policies and programmes.
·
The Ministry also serves
as the nodal agency in the country for the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP), South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme (SACEP), International
Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and for the follow-up of
the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED)
Ø BOTANICAL SURVEY OF INDIA
· The Botanical Survey of India (BSI) is the
apex research organization under the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Govt.
of India for carrying out taxonomic and floristic studies on wild plant
resources of the country.
· It was established on 13th February, 1890 with
the basic objective to explore the plant resources of the country and to
identify the plants species with economic virtues. The Botanical Survey of
India has the nine regional circles situated at different regions of the
country. The following are the activities being carried out by the BSI
Ø Zoological Survey of India
·
The
Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), a subordinate organization of the Ministry of
Environment and Forests was established in 1916 as a national centre for
faunistic survey and exploration of the resources leading to the advancement of
knowledge on the exceptionally rich faunal diversity of the country. ZSI has
its headquarters at Kolkata and 16 regional stations located in different geographic
locations of the country. The following are the activities being carried out by
the ZSI:
Ø Forest Survey of India (FSI)
·
is an
organization under the Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of
India Its principal mandate is to conduct survey and assessment of forest
resources in the country.
Ø Genetic Engineering Approval Committee
(GEAC)
x
ØCentral Pollution Control Board (CPCB),
·
The Central
Pollution Control Board (CPCB), statutory organisation, was constituted
in September, 1974 under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act,
1974. Further, CPCB was entrusted with the powers and functions under the Air
(Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.
Ø NATIONAL RIVER
CONSERVATION DIRECTORATE
·
functioning under the Ministry of Environment and Forest
·
objective of NRCP is to improve the water quality of the
rivers
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Schemes
v Intensification of Forest Management Scheme” (IFMS)
· The components of the scheme
included forest fire control and management, survey, demarcation and
preparation of working plans, strengthening of infrastructure such as roads,
camp offices, watch towers, improved mobility, providing fire arms and use of
modern information and communication technology etc.
· The funding pattern is on cost sharing basis for N-E
States including Sikkim and special category States Himachal Pradesh, Jammu
& Kashmir & Uttarakhand, the Central Share is
90% and the State’s Share is 10%. For rest of the states the
Central Share is 75% and State’s Share is 25%.
v Project
Tiger
· Project Tiger" was launched by the Government of India
in 1973 in nine reserves of different States (Assam, Bihar, Karnataka, Madhya
Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal) over an
area of approximately 14,000 sq. km.
· Since then, the project coverage has expanded considerably
to 41 tiger reserves (TR), encompassing an area of around 46,388.22 sq.km. in
17 tiger States with 32578.78 sq.km. of notified core/ critical tiger habitats
in 16 tiger States.
v Project Elephant
|
· a centrally sponsored scheme, was launched
in February 1992 to provide financial and technical support to major elephant
bearing States in the country for protection of elephants, their habitats and
corridors.
· It also seeks to address the issues of
human-elephant conflict and welfare of domesticated elephants.
· The Project is being implemented in 13
States / UTs, viz. Andhra pradesh , Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand ,
Karnataka , Kerala , Meghalaya , Nagaland , Orissa , Tamil Nadu , Uttranchal
, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
· Based on the proposals received in the form
of Annual Plan of Operations, Government of India provides financial and
technical assistance to State/UT Governments for wildlife protection under
the various Centrally Sponsored Schemes – Development of National
Parks and Sanctuaries, Project Tiger and Project Elephant.
· These funds are released after scrutiny of
the proposals and also subject to the availability of funds and fulfillment
of procedural requirements. The State-wise details of funds which have been
released under this project are given
· There are only 17 states in which elephants
exist in the wild state. Project Elephant has declared 24 elephant reserves
in 12 states to protect elephant populations in the wild and develop their habitat.
It was launched in the year 1991-92 as a sequel to a series of efforts to
conserve this magnificent species covering primarily twelve states of India,
namely Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala,
Meghalaya, Nagaland, Orissa, Tamilnadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
Legal cover for
elephant
=====================
· The
move comes after concerns were raised within the National Board for Wildlife
about lack of legal cover for elephant reserves and corridors against changes
in the vast landscapes that pachyderms occupy in the country.
· Thirty-two
elephant reserves covering 69,582 sq km are identified by the central
government and their sizes vary from 450-6,724 sq km, encompassing not only
forest patches of different kinds but also villages, townships, agricultural
land, tea plantations and revenue land.
· At
the moment, elephant reserves are identified only as a programme of the
environment ministry to provide additional funds under the Project Elephant central
scheme but this does not automatically ensure a higher level of legal
protection against changes to the demarcated landscape such as in the case of
tiger reserves (which are in most cases forest land).
· There
has been some debate in the ministry and among tribal and wildlife activists
about how to regulate activities detrimental to the pachyderm while not
hurting the rights of people living in these zones. Unlike in the case of
national parks, tiger reserves and sanctuaries, the government faces peculiar
difficulties in safeguarding elephant habitats. Elephants can traverse
hundreds of kilometres annually, running through cities, villages and forest
land that are contested by many stakeholders holding or wanting rights to the
lands for varying activities ranging from mining to sustenance of tribals.
· The
committee set up by the environment ministry will be headed by Vinod Rishi,
retired senior forest officer, along with the director of Project Tiger as
member convener. Member of National Board for Wildlife M D Madhusudan, chief
wildlife warden of Odisha J D Sharma, Supreme Court lawyer Sanjay Upadhayaya
and elephant conservation expert Ajay Desai have been appointed as members.
· The
committee has been given a year's time to examine whether the existing
network of elephant reserves and corridors adequately cover the animal's habitat
and what kind of legal cover can be given to these land under existing green
laws as recommended by the Elephant Task Force. The panel has also been asked
to assess the impact of wildlife protection regulations on people living or
utilizing the land falling inside elephant reserves and corridors.
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National Wetland Conservation Programme (NWCP)
- Government of India opertionalized National Wetland
Conservation Programme (NWCP) in closed collaboration with concerned State
Government during the year 1985/86.
- Under the programme 115 wetlands have been
identified till now by the Ministry which requires urgent conservation and
management initiatives.
Aim of the Scheme
- Conservation and wise use of wetlands in the country so
as to prevent their further degradation.
Objectives of the Scheme
The scheme was initiated
with the following objectives:-
- to lay down policy guidelines for conservation and
management of wetlands in the country;
- to undertake intensive conservation measures in
priority wetlands;
- to monitor implementation of the programme; and
- to prepare an inventory of Indian wetlands.
Proposed funding pattern under the Scheme
Financial assistance
under NWCP is provided for two components i.e.
- Management Action Plan (MAP) and Research
Projects. Under the Scheme, 100% assistance is provided for activities.
Conservation and management of wetlands is primarily vested with the
State/UTs, who are in physical possession of the area.
- After identification of wetlands under the Scheme, the
State/UTs are to submit long-term comprehensive Management Action Plans
(MAPs) for a period of 3-5 years, preferably 5 years, coinciding with the
Plan period.
Ramsar Convention on Wetland
- The Convention on Wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in
1971, is an intergovernmental treaty which provides the framework for
national action and international cooperation for the conservation and
wise use of wetlands and their resources.
- There are presently 158 Contracting Parties to the
Convention, with 1758 wetland sites, totaling 161 million hectares,
designated for inclusion in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International
Importance.
- Ramsar Convention is the only global
environment treaty dealing with a particular ecosystem
- In addition, many wetlands are international systems
lying across the boundaries of two or more countries, or are part of river
basins that include more than one country. The health of these and other
wetlands is dependent upon the quality and quantity of the trans
boundary water supply from rivers, streams, lakes, or underground
aquifers.
- This requires framework for international discussion
and cooperation toward mutual benefits.
Major obligations of
countries which are party to the Convention are:
- Designate wetlands for inclusion in the List of Wetlands of International Importance
- Promote, as far as possible, the wise use of wetlands in their territory
- Promote international cooperation especially with regard to transboundary wetlands,
shared water systems, and shared species.
- Create wetland reserves
The Convention on
Wetlands came into force for India on 1 February 1982. India presently has 26
sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance, with a surface area
of 689,131 hectares.
Western Ghats Panel
- was established to assess the current status of the
ecology of the Western Ghats, to demarcate the ecologically sensitive
zones under the Environment (Protection) Act 1986,
- under
the chairmanship of Madhav Gadgil
- The panel had
submitted its report to the government on August 30, 2011.
- The
government is yet to accept the report while several groups in the city
have begun discussions and talks to understand the WGEEP report.
Environment Information
System (ENVIS)
- established in
December 1982, established
- The focus of ENVIS since inception has been on providing
environmental information to decision makers, policy planners, scientists and environmentalists,
researchers, academicians and other stakeholders
- ENVIS is a
decentralized computerized network database system consisting of the focal
point located in the Ministry and a chain of network partners, known as
ENVIS Centres located in the potential organizations/institutions
throughout the country.
LAW/ CONVENTIONS
Ø BIOSPHERE RESERVE
·
The
Indian government has established 17 Biosphere Reserves of India,
(categories roughly corresponding to IUCN Category V Protected areas), which protect larger
areas of natural habitat (than a National Park or Animal
Sanctuary), and often include one or more National Parks and/or preserves,
along buffer zones that are open to some economic uses.
·
Protection
is granted not only to the flora and fauna of the protected region, but also to
the human communities who inhabit these regions, and their ways of life.
·
Seven
of the sixteen biosphere reserves are a part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves,
based on the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme
list
·
In 2009, India designated Cold Desert of Himachal Pradesh as a
biosphere reserve. On September 20, 2010, the Ministry of Environment and Forests
designated Seshachalam
Hills as the 17th biosphere reserve. Panna (Madhya Pradesh) was
scheduled to become the 18th on August 25, 2011
1
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2008
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2
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1989
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3
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1989
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4
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2009
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5
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1988
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6
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1986
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7
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1998
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8
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1999
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9
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2010
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10
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1994
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11
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2005
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12
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1989
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13
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2000
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14
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2001
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15
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1989
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16
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1988
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17
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1997
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18
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2011
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Ø Biological Diversity Act 2002
·
The Biological Diversity Act 2002 was born out of India's attempt to realise the objectives
enshrined in the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) 1992
which recognizes the sovereign rights of states to use their own Biological
Resources.
·
The Act aims at the conservation of
biological resources and associated knowledge as well as facilitating access to
them in a sustainable manner and through a just process for purposes of
implementing the objects of the Act it establishes the National Biodiversity
Authority in Chennai(headquarters)
Ø National Biodiversity Authority
·
The National
Biodiversity Authority (NBA) was established in 2003 to implement India’s
Biological Diversity Act (2002). The NBA is a Statutory, Autonomous Body and it
performs facilitative, regulatory and advisory function for the Government of India
on issues of conservation, sustainable use of biological resources and fair and
equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the use of biological resources.
Ø The National Green Tribunal
·
has been established on 18.10.2010 under the
National Green Tribunal Act 2010
·
It is a
specialized body equipped with the necessary expertise to handle environmental
disputes involving multi-disciplinary issues.
·
The Tribunal shall not be bound by the
procedure laid down under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, but shall be
guided by principles of natural justice.
·
it is
chaired by Justice Swatanter Kumar
POLICIES
Ø
National Forest Policy, 1988
·
India launched its National Forest Policy in 1988.
·
This led to a program named Joint Forest Management, which
proposed that specific villages in association with the forest department will
manage specific forest blocks.
·
In particular, the protection of the forests would be the
responsibility of the people.
·
By 1992, seventeen
states of India participated in Joint Forest Management, bringing about 2
million hectares of forests under protection. The effect of this initiative has
been claimed to be positive
·
India's national forest policy expects to invest US$ 26.7
billion by 2020, to pursue nationwide afforestation coupled with forest
conservation, with the goal of increasing India's forest cover from 20% to 33%
Ø Environmental
Impact Assessment (EIA)
·
issued on 27.1.1994 under the provisions
of Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 making EIA mandatory for 29 categories of
developmental projects.
·
EIA is a planning tool that is now generally accepted as an integral
component of sound decision-making.
·
The objective of EIA is to foresee and
address potential environmental problems/concerns at an early stage of project
planning and design.
·
EIA should assist planners and government
authorities in the decision making process by identifying the key
impacts/issues and formulating mitigation measures.Ministry had issued sectoral
guidelines some time ago.
Mangroves
·
Mangroves are known to provide shelter,
act as nursery grounds and are also habitats for economically
important fishes, prawns, crabs and molluscs.
·
In addition to from providing
nutrition in the form of detritus, mangroves also play an important role by improving water quality and controlling coastal erosion
caused by
flooding and storm surges.
flooding and storm surges.
·
They also act as a barrier during cyclones and protect the coastline.
INDIA'S FOREST COVER DECLINES
Ganges River dolphin
The Ganges River dolphin or Susu, lives in one of the most densely populated regions of the world. One of the main threats to the species is loss of habitat due in large part to the creation of dams and irrigation projects.
Habitat and subspecies under severe threat
The survival of the Ganges River dolphin is threatened by unintentional killing through entanglement in fishing gear; directed harvest for dolphin oil, which is used as a fish attractant and for medicinal purposes; water development projects (e.g. water extraction and the construction of barrages, high dams, and embankments); industrial waste and pesticides; municipal sewage discharge and noise from vessel traffic; and over exploitation of prey, mainly due to the widespread use of non-selective fishing gear.
Habitat loss and degradation
More than 50 dams and irrigation-related projects have had an adverse impact on the habitat of this species. These projects result in major changes in the flow, sediment load, and water quality of rivers, which affects the quality of waters downstream.
As a result, there has been a serious decrease in fish production, while the extraction of river water and siltation from deforestation are also degrading the species' habitat. In some cases, habitat alterations have resulted in the genetic isolation of dolphin populations.
Pollution
Pollution levels are a problem, and are expected to increase with the development of intensive modern industrial practices in the region. Compounds such as organochlorine and butyltin found in the tissues of Ganges River dolphins are a cause for concern about their potential effects on the subspecies.
Fisheries bycatch
Bycatch in gillnets and line hooks is also a major source of mortality for this subspecies.
Directed take
Although the killing of this dolphin for meat and oil is thought to have declined, it still occurs in the middle Ganges near Patna, in the Kalni-Kushiyara River of Bangladesh, and in the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra. In fisheries for large catfish in India and Bangladesh, dolphin oil and body parts are used to lure prey, and Ganges River dolphins are used to this end.
Efforts have been made in India to test shark liver and sardine oil and fish offal to find an alternative for dolphin products. The latter appears promising.
More than 50 dams and irrigation-related projects have had an adverse impact on the habitat of this species. These projects result in major changes in the flow, sediment load, and water quality of rivers, which affects the quality of waters downstream.
As a result, there has been a serious decrease in fish production, while the extraction of river water and siltation from deforestation are also degrading the species' habitat. In some cases, habitat alterations have resulted in the genetic isolation of dolphin populations.
Pollution
Pollution levels are a problem, and are expected to increase with the development of intensive modern industrial practices in the region. Compounds such as organochlorine and butyltin found in the tissues of Ganges River dolphins are a cause for concern about their potential effects on the subspecies.
Fisheries bycatch
Bycatch in gillnets and line hooks is also a major source of mortality for this subspecies.
Directed take
Although the killing of this dolphin for meat and oil is thought to have declined, it still occurs in the middle Ganges near Patna, in the Kalni-Kushiyara River of Bangladesh, and in the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra. In fisheries for large catfish in India and Bangladesh, dolphin oil and body parts are used to lure prey, and Ganges River dolphins are used to this end.
Efforts have been made in India to test shark liver and sardine oil and fish offal to find an alternative for dolphin products. The latter appears promising.
